Geico vs. Progressive Auto Insurance: 2019 Rates, Coverage and More

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Millions of drivers choose Geico or Progressive for auto insurance. They’re two of the three largest car insurance companies in the U.S.

But Progressive and Geico take different approaches to providing car insurance, so which one you should choose depends on what’s most important to you.

Progressive has thousands of agents while Geico primarily does business online or by phone.

Geico often beats Progressive’s rates, but not for all drivers or in all states.

Both have long — but different — lists of coverage options to customize policies.

To help you find the best policy for you, here’s a detailed look at how the two companies compare.

Geico vs. Progressive: Average car insurance rates

If price is your top concern, Geico is likely to have the edge — but it depends on where you live.

NerdWallet analyzed rates in 34 states and the District of Columbia where both Geico and Progressive are among the largest auto insurance companies. In those states, Geico was about $19 a month cheaper than Progressive, on average, for good drivers with good credit buying a full-coverage policy.

And for drivers with poor credit or a recent at-fault accident buying the same coverage, Geico’s rates were about $56 a month lower than Progressive’s, on average.

But in Louisiana, Maryland, New Mexico, North Carolina and the District of Columbia, Progressive was cheaper than Geico, on average, for all three situations. In eight other states, Progressive was cheaper than Geico for one or two of the driver profiles.

However, in 21 states Geico was cheaper than Progressive for all three situations.

Since rates vary so much by state and by the driver’s circumstances, it’s important to get quotes from both companies to know whether Progressive or Geico is cheapest for you.

Here are the annual average rates we found for full coverage for four driver profiles, plus minimum coverage rates for good drivers with good credit.

These prices are averaged across 34 states and Washington, D.C., and may not reflect prices in your state.

» MORE: NerdWallet’s Progressive review

Geico vs. Progressive: NerdWallet ratings

Both companies earned 3.5 stars in NerdWallet’s ratings of the best car insurance companies, but Geico ranked 15th while Progressive ranked 19th out of 24 insurers.